Police have released pictures of runaway schoolgirl Megan Stammers with
married maths teacher Jeremy Forrest aboard a channel ferry.

Police say the image was captured at 9.30pm on a Dover to Calais ferry on the same day Megan was last seen at home.

Sussex Police confirmed earlier today they had been made aware of fears about the runaway couple, who are believed to be in France.

Chief Inspector Jason Tingley, of Sussex Police, said: "We are releasing this photo to show Megan and Jeremy's appearance at the time they travelled to France as we believe it will improve the public's ability to recognise the pair together.

"Although they entered France, it is possible that they are elsewhere now.

"Therefore our objectives are to identify where they are and for them to contact us, so we can bring Megan home safely."

Mr Tingley said they were working with Interpol, a liaison officer in France and the French Missing Persons Bureau, plus other law enforcement agencies in Europe.

He went on: "At this time our foreign liaison is focused on raising awareness of the pair and gathering information about where they could be. We have the ability to request other support and resources from the European authorities when the need arises.

"On an inquiry like this, there will always be reports of unconfirmed sightings, which we will follow up.

"We will not comment on speculation about locations, but with public awareness being a key factor in this inquiry, we will publicise confirmed sightings.

"We would like to thank the public and media for their assistance. We are particularly grateful for the efforts of the international media in raising awareness about the pair abroad. Our primary concern is still to find Megan and Jeremy safe and well."

East Sussex County Council confirmed it and school officials were "addressing and investigating concerns" that were raised about the closeness of 15-year-old Megan Stammers and Jeremy Forrest, 30.

The teenager's mother and stepfather have said they were unaware of any relationship.

An East Sussex County Council spokesman said: "Because the investigations are ongoing we are not going to comment in detail.

"However, the school and the county council had been addressing and nvestigating concerns that had been raised, in line with procedure, when this happened.

"That investigation will continue and we will decide what action to take."

It was claimed today Megan's friends warned teachers about her relationship with the married maths teacher seven months ago.

The 15-year-old was spotted holding hands with Jeremy Forrest, 30, as they sat next to each other on a flight home from a school trip to Los Angeles in February.

But although friends voiced their concerns to teachers at the Bishop Bell Church of England School in Eastbourne, East Sussex, no immediate action appears to have been taken.

However, it was claimed that Forrest, a married amateur musician from Ringmer, near Lewes, had been kept under investigation and was expected to be suspended last Friday.

The pair are believed to have fled the country together on Thursday. They were captured on CCTV boarding a ferry from Dover to Calais, sparking an international manhunt.

Megan's mother, Danielle Wilson, admitted yesterday that she had been unaware of the couple's relationship as she made an emotional appeal for her daughter to return home.

Police have confirmed that the schoolgirl is not believed to be in danger. The last known contact with her was on Friday, when one of her friends received a text message in which she disclosed that she had arrived safely in France.

One friend described how Megan had been “really excited” about her burgeoning relationship with Forrest but expressed concerns about her safety, describing her as someone who could be “quite vulnerable”.

The 15-year-old friend, who has not been identified, said: “They would always text each other. He would send her messages saying things like ‘I miss you’ and ‘I can't wait to hug you’”.

She said one of their friends had spoken to a teacher after seeing the pair hold hands during the ten-hour flight back from the US earlier this year.

“She thought the behaviour was inappropriate as he is so much older and her teacher,” the friend told the Daily Mail.

“We are really angry the school did not do enough to protect Megan. And now no one knows where she is or if she's coming back.

“I don't know how it all started with Mr Forrest but to begin with she was really excited about it.

“She would tweet about being in love and show us his texts. But after it was reported she stopped and then deleted her Twitter account. She never spoke about it after that and she didn't tell any of us that she was leaving. She probably knew we would stop her.”

It was claimed that Forrest wrote a song for Megan called Better Company in which he referred to their contact on the flight.

A spokesman from East Sussex County Council has admitted that the school was aware of concerns about the teacher's relationship with Megan but refused to confirm when these were first raised.

He said: "The investigation was ongoing when she went missing. The school, in conjunction with the county council and the police, had been addressing concerns that had been raised on this matter.”

Mrs Wilson yesterday described how excitable her daughter had been before she disappeared as she appealed for her to return home.

She said: “She was really happy, jumping around. She grabbed my shoulders and she said to me, 'Mum can you look me in the eye?’ I looked her in the eye and she said, 'I love you’.”

She added: “Sweetheart, I don’t care what you’ve done or why, I just want you home.” She added: “From me to you sweetheart, you know your adorable princess wants her adorable mermaid back.”

Ms Wilson let her daughter stay at a friend’s house on Thursday night and gave her dinner money. It was the last time she saw her. The alarm was raised on Friday after she failed to turn up for school.

Police said that they believed Megan — who it emerged had been receiving extra maths tuition — had left of her own accord with Mr Forrest.

Detectives had hoped the pair would come back on Sunday night — when their return journey was due — but when they failed to appear the search widened.

Dr Jennifer Wild, a consultant clinical psychologist at Oxford University, said there could be various reasons why the couple absconded.

"They are clearly riding on emotion and they could be very scared about the perception of their relationship or being found out," she told Radio 4's Today programme.

"They could want to be together all the time. There could be a teenage pregnancy involved. There is a degree of shame involved, there is this age difference and they are scared to come out to the public.

"She (Megan) may be worried that Jeremy will get into trouble and that needs to be addressed so they can both come safely home."

In a message to the teenager, Chief Inspector Jason Tingley said: “We need hear that you are OK. Your family and friends are extremely worried but you are not, and I must stress, you are not in any trouble.”

His message to Mr Forrest was: “Our priority is to know that Megan is safe. I would ask you to do the right thing and make contact with us. We will work with you to get you both safely back into this country.”

Megan’s stepfather, Martin Stammers, urged people using social networking sites to continue re-tweeting appeals for Megan to return safely.

Police have asked the pair, or anyone else with information, to call them on +44 1273 475 432 or text +44 7786 208 090.